Bruins To Sign Jaroslav Halak

After failing to agree to terms on a new deal with Anton Khudobin (who is expected to sign with Dallas), the Bruins have found their new backup goaltender.  Fox Sports Midwest’s Andy Strickland reports (Twitter link) that Boston will sign veteran netminder Jaroslav Halak.  Terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

It has been a bit of a tumultuous ride for Halak in recent years.  In his first season with the Islanders, he was a capable starter and looked to be providing good value on his contract that paid him an average of $4.5MM per year.  But then New York brought in Thomas Greiss, who wound up platooning with him in 2015-16 and eventually wrestled away the number one job in the postseason.

Things got worse the following season as Halak struggled out of the game and wound up clearing waivers that resulted in a lengthy minor league stint.  He played quite well with AHL Bridgeport and earned a recall later in the year where he went on a nice run to finish, winning six of seven starts down the stretch.  That didn’t carry over to last season, however.  Although he managed to win back the starting role, he struggled overall on the year, posting a 3.19 GAA and a .908 SV% in 54 appearances, numbers that were below the league average.

The Bruins are banking on Halak returning to form with less pressure and a better back end in front of him.  At the very least, he should be able to handle more than a typical number two workload which will allow them to take some pressure off Tuukka Rask and keep him fresh as the season progresses.